November 10-20 to Charleston and Savannah

Heading out the Gerogetown Harbor Channel

We left Hazzard Marine in Georgetown at a reasonable 11:30 and crept our way up the channel until we turned off into the this cutoff in Winyah Bay which is just after the turn into the ICW channel and parallel to the main shipping channel going out to sea.  We found a nice spot to anchor and even though the current was ripping through here, the anchor stuck immediately and we were secured.  In past years we always took the ocean to by pass this troublesome stretch of ICW between Georgetown and Charleston and would anchor here to stage for heading out to sea.  So I guess we know the place pretty well.

It was a peaceful night except for a couple of fishing boats that zipped right by us which rocked us pretty good.  Very strange.

I was up at 5am.  Its really dark out then especially with the cloudy skies.  Foreboding, one could say ...?   I was up at that inhuman hour to check on the weather again before heading out to the ocean.  We've been out there several miles off shore about 10 times, but the last time the forecast was completely inaccurate and we got bounced around pretty good.  We weren't looking to repeat that so I was up early to hear the NOAA weather broadcast and check a few other weather sources.

And sure enough the forecast had changed.  And not for the better with 3-4 foot seas and 15 knot Northeast winds increasing to 20.  Not for us.  We’ll do 2-3 foot seas, but once the swells get into the 3-5 foot range the journey just becomes a rather torturous and we risk having our "stuff" being flung out of cabinets and furniture upended.

Another reason I was up so early was to give us a window to head down the ICW on a rising tide in case the ocean forecast turned badly.  So, since it was high tide anyway and I had woken Mary with the weather radio and plunking on a keyboard we turned our back to the sea and headed into the ICW.  The ICW was conveniently only a quarter of a mile away too.

And right away we hit a shallow stretch of water.  6 feet.  We can pass over that depth but not not at low tide levels which lowers the water level about 4 feet here.  After that though the journey turned rather pleasant with water depths rarely venturing less than 8 feet.  The current which was initially pushing us along flipped and became an opposing current so we had to really power up to even make 7 mph.   It was important to maintain at least that speed so we could get into the Stono River   anchorage before dark. 

Along the ICW ... someone is sure happy

We saw few other boats until we came within a few miles of Charleston.  Otherwise it was pretty much just us.  The landscape here is typical low country with grassy marshes broken up by little creeks.  And many of the creeks are wide enough for bug old tubs like ours to anchor.  Swift current though.  But I’m not real comfortable anchoring in small creeks.  We did enough of that coming down the rivers last year.  We find there is restricted swing room and putting out a second, stern anchor to control the boat swing through the tidal changes is very difficult for us.  So we choose other ,more palatable options.

Coming into Charleston Harbor

Fort Sumter

We popped out into Charleston Harbor and did go by Fort Sumter and The Battery before turning up Wappoo Creek into Elliot Cut and finally the Stono River where we anchored in our usual spot adjacent to St. Johns Yacht Harbor.  We had an early morning again tomorrow so we could make Fields Cut around high tide too.  Never thought tides would be such an influence on our lives years before.

Elliot Cut leading out to the Stono River

For those that asked:  The Intracoastal Waterway is a series of interconnected waterways forming a navigable waterway from Norfolk to Key West.  This is technically known as the Atlantic Intracoastal Water Way or AICW.  There is another intracoastal waterway that runs along the Gulf, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway or GICW.  We've been on each of them.  They are both essentially just rivers and creeks that are joined together by cuts (dredged channels) creating a continuous waterway along the Gulf coast for one and up the Atlantic seaboard for the other.  In most cases it makes traveling much easier because its shielded from the Gulf and Ocean weather.

Our cluster of  traveling companions all passing us

The next morning we had the anchor up and heading of out of Stono River by 7Am.  We ended up a group of boats that had just run through Elliot Cut.  Its not surprising that clumps of boats tend to cruise together simply because  we are heading in the same direction and have to pass through certain shallow areas at near high tides.

It took about an hour for all of us us to string out the line.  We of course ended up last.  As the last boat passed us, we saw a lady on board out on the bow watching dolphins.  With her dog.   So we were the last boat, with no dolphins and no dog.  Mary was in a tizzy.

We rode the tidal current for about an hour until it became an opposing current slowing us to the point where we could barely make 6 mph.  We did have a time line of making Fenwick cut before 1pm when the tide became low enough to make running the cut a little dicey.

Fenwick Cut.

Fenwick Cut joins the the south fork of the Edisto River and Ashepoo River.  Once through the Cut we always take the Ashepoo down to Saint Helena Sound and then up the Coosaw River.  Its 4 miles further but is free from any shoal areas where as following the normal ICW route through the Ashepoo-Coosaw cutoff can be difficult at anything less than high tide.  So we elect to take the south branch of the Ashepoo down to St. Helena Sound and then up the Coosaw river.   It’s a 4 mile detour but the it's easy, stress free cruising.

The entire day was cool.  It was only 50 when we left in the morning and really didn't warm up all day except when the sun popped out briefly in the afternoon.

Anchoring in Bull River (Wimbee Creek in the distance)

We made the turn into the Bull River and decided to just anchor near the mouth instead of running up the river a  mile or so to Wimbee Creek.  My gut was thinking, "anchoring in the nice protected creek".   But I wasn't listening so we anchored right at the mouth of the Bull River which will make an easy exit tomorrow morning.  Should be a peaceful night.  Tomorrow is Hilton Head and the May River anchorage.  And then possibly Thunderbolt Marine to fix this vexing fuel leak in the high pressure fuel pump.  Not sure what we’re going to do just yet.  A decision for tomorrow.

If only I would learn to listen to my gut.…  Bull River is where we stayed the night and it turned really bouncy and uncomfortable overnight with the gusty winds and waves created from the north winds which blew right down the river to where we anchored.  But through all that bouncing we didn't drag an inch.  100 feet of chain and a snubber held us pretty well even though the snubber slipped off the chain sometime during the night.

As we brought up the chain this morning it began slipping badly on the anchor windlass gypsy.  So much so, I was worried we wouldn't get it back up.  But it jumped and slipped and finally came after a few minutes and we manage to leave at 8am and wound our way through to Beaufort,SC.

Purely Pleasure

As we approached Beaufort we were politely passed by this interesting power boat.  He slowed down so we did have to contend with what turned out to be a huge wake which we saw when he throttle up well past us.  

Beaufort and the parade right before we passed under the bridge

It is Veterans Day and we learned there was a parade scheduled in mid morning which was going to close the bridge for an extra hour.   Luckily, Lady's Island Bridge has a vertical clearance of  33 feet so we were able to thread our way through an assortment of waiting sailboats and under the bridge without any delay.  We even saw remnants of the parade as it made its way along the shore.

It turn into a really nice, warm and sunny day as we slid past Hilton Head Island and Port Royal Sound.  We followed the ICW past Daufuskie Island and then into New River.  We had decided to just bypass the May River and get further down towards Savannah since the weather so nice.  

Entering New River

The entrance to New River is interesting.  Its a wide river mouth and lies directly in front of Marshside Mamas Restaurant and a free dock.  We had to go almost past the the river entrance before turning back in and then up the river.  We anchored about a half mile up where the mud wasn't so sticky.   We were joined by a few sailboats  but they anchored down further towards the mouth.  And for the third time now, we didn't take the dinghy to Marshside Mamas for dinner.   

Just as we finished securing the anchor Thunderbolt Marine finally called me back at 5pm and we made arrangements to stay there and have a mechanic assess the fuel pump.  Its leaking pretty good now so we need to have it repaired.  A new high pressure pump costs … well, very much.  Hopefully its just a gasket!  And we also have to have an assessment of the gypsy and anchor chain.

Thats Savannah there in the distance

The anchorage is calm, and quiet, and as the sun went down we could see the lights of the Port of Savannah of in the distance.   And tomorrow we don't have to rise at the crack of dawn but can leave at a more reasonable 10am!   The troublesome Fields Cut is 4.5 miles away and high tide is at noon. And after the Cut, Thunderbolt marine is 10 miles away, another 1.5 hours since the tide will have started to flow out which can cut our speed by 2-3 mph.  But we’ll be tied up and relaxing by 3pm tomorrow. 

Approaching Thunderbolt Marine

We left at a leisurely 10 am and made it through Fields Cut with no problems and continued on to Thunderbolt Marine where we were tied up on the face dock of the Marina.

Thunderbolt is a little municipality bordering Savannah.  Very small town.  There is Savannah State University and Savannah is about a 10 minute drive.  I think the largest enterprise is Thunderbolt Marina ans a few other marinas within  few miles.   Its a nice quiet place.

And the Marina offers free Krispy Kremes to each boat if they so desire.  4 (or actually 6 I'm told) are delivered to each boat every morning before 7am.  We'll see.

  

I had to call the engine guys at Performance Power Systems since the marina didn't have any Cummins experienced mechanics where as Performance Power was Cummins certified. 

Thats us on the left

Colleen from Performance Power, had me fill out a form she emailed me and I sent it back within 5 minutes.  That precipitated a call from Dave who was the operations guy there.  He was politely honest in saying they really didn't have anyone available for at least a week or to.  Bad news for us.  But after we talked awhile about the problem he thought maybe he could spring one of the mechanic this coming Wednesday.

We originally weren't planning on staying here that long but I thought if we had to wait for a mechanic why not have the boat yard take care of the windlass gypsy issue too.

The marina guys finally got around to looking at the windlass the next day and concluded we definitely need a new gypsy but I figured we might as well replace the old rusted chain too.  So they ordered new chain and a gypsy Friday afternoon with anticipated delivery by Wednesday.  Yeah!   Not so much yeah! on the cost though.  Yikes!

I called Dave back at Performance Power and he said he still might be able to get someone out here by Wednesday, the same day the gypsy and chain were slated to arrive..  So if that does work out I suspect we wont be leaving here until the following week.  

Tubbys

Mary and I walked to Tubbys Restaurant a few blocks from the marina.  Eclectic, and the food was ok.

The marina is gated so we have to use a code to gain entry.  Senior memory being what it is, I  photographed the brochure where they print the codes so I have it on my phone.
 

Magically, every morning they show up

And a box of  Krispy Kremes is delivered to our boat every morning and left by the wing door.  And by noon I take an empty box to the re-cycling bin.   I actually don't eat them but there is a sizable feral cat population here so maybe they're consuming them?  Hmmm... its  a mystery.

Meanwhile I took to riding my bike to the Bi-Lo and Kroger grocery stores.  And Home Depot for various odds and ends.  At Home Depot I was trying to buy some replacement faucet cartridges to replace ones that have begun to leak.  But of course they didn't have any in stock.  Foiled again.  

I was suspicious at first but there really is a liquor store there

I also found a curious cardboard sign indicating a liquor store on one of the back roads I used to ride to Home Depot.  Turns out it really was a liquor store.  So I bought a bottle of rum!

I did replace the dinette compact fluorescent lights with LED strip lights attached in the light fixture itself so we can reuse the fixture.  The lights are much brighter now and use about a tenth of the power.  Just have to do the other 13 lights now.

I met some interesting people here who stayed for a day or two here before moving on.  Most are heading south.  No surprise there.  And most were older couples too!  Seniors on the move!

Blue Moon

The boat yard here services Mega Yachts.   Several were here including sailing vessel Tamsen, motor vessels Blue Moon (another Blue Moon link), Triton, Rice Quarters,  My Trust Fund and Copasetic.  These boats are simply huge, especially Blue Moon at almost 200 feet.  But now days 200 feet is considered a ho-hum in the yachting circles I don't circulate in.  

I would take several walks every day right along the dock and get close looks at them.   Copasetic and Tamsen where up on the hard (out of the water).  Out of the water they looked even more gigantic.  The crews seemed to be mostly British or Australian. Nice people but they sure worked alot polishing this and waxing that.

Mega yachts

Its interesting how they get these big yachts out of the water and up on land.   There is a platform in the boat yard facing the basin which is raised and  lowered by 8 sync'd winches.  The platform has rails on which little flatbed cars are rolled. The boat is situated on these cars when the platform has lowered into the water.  Divers go in and under the boat to place large wooded shims against the hull and the little rail cars so the boats will come out of the water straight.  A titling 100 tom yacht isn't a good thing.

Lift platform is to the left.  Blue boxes are the platform hoists

 Once the divers have everything aligned, the hoists bring up the platform with the boat on it.  The little rail car holding the yacht is then pulled over to another platform which is also on rails and from there they can move the boat to 4 different areas.  are pushed on to a another rail platform which leads to other areas with rails in the concrete.  I'm hoping too see that before we leave.  One of the crew from Tamsen told me they were preparing to leave at the end of the week or earlier.  They're headed to Alaska by way of the Panama Canal. 

Savannah State University campus

Mary and I took a walk to Savannah State college which is about 6 blocks from the Marina.  Nice place.  And seemingly expansive grounds right on the marshlands.  Its also where the Bus stop is located if we decide to take the bus into Savannah.

Bob and Martha on Field Trip rolled in here today so we'll have someone to travel  south with in a few days when the gypsy and chain are installed.   The forecast is calling for temps to drop below 30 degrees over the next few nights.  Glad we are tied up at a marina with power instead of being anchored somewhere.  

Well it did hit 26 degrees last night.  We had all 4 heaters going so weren't too terribly uncomfortable.  Glad we didn't have to try and start these poor engines though!

During the day we all (Bob, Martha, Mary and I) took a taxi to downtown Savannah and were dropped off at the Savannah Visitor Center.  After Mary and Martha interrogated one of the visitor center hosts we decided to take the free Express shuttles to Forsyth Park.  Its a large park with this massive fountain.

Statue in one of the little squares

From there we walked down Bull street.  Old stately homes with large trees creating a canopy.  And every few blocks was another small green square or park.  Most had a statue commemorating a local hero.  There are 24 of these squares in the Savannah Historic District.   

Mary, Bob and Martha at Six Pence Pub

But, it was so windy and cold we had to cut the initial walk short and stop in an english pub, Six Pence Pub,  to warm up and eat.  We've never been in a proper english pub before.  It was very good although I committed a high treason by consuming a Michelob Ultra and not one of the many more hearty varieties they were offering.

Another Square

River Street Market along the river front

Another Square

After satiating ourselves we continued on Bull street to the waterfront walk when Mary decided we'd had enough cold weather fun.  So we once again boarded a DOT exxpress shuttle and made it back to the Visitor Center where Bob called for a cab.  Jack, the cab driver was rather free with his history but entertaining non the less as he took us the long way back to the marina.  It was only $5 a head or $20 each way.  I think we'll head back there tomorrow since the wind will diminished quite a bit although the temps will remain in the low 50's.

When we returned to the boats Kevin our project manager form the marina talked to me about the chain and gypsy saying they expected it to be there Wednesday.  So we decided to tentatively stay until Friday hoping we'd have a mechanic on site by then.

Later that afternoon Bob and I took a stroll through the boat yard again marveling at all the huge mega yachts.  The large sail boat, Tamsen which had been set to leave this week, has been delayed so we'll miss that operation.  Oh well.

The next day Bob and I walked over to River Supply a marine supply store a few blocks from the marina.   When we returned, Josh, the superb dock master told me we had to move our boat off the transient dock and inot the yacht basin where all the huge yachts wer located.  This was to facilitate the loading of the 200 feet of chain which weighs a considerable amount.

Our new dock in with the mega yachts

So, sandwiched between two boats we let the lines go except the bow line which was led to a cleat on the dock mid way between our bow and the stern.  The line held us and I was able to use it and the current to gently ease the stern out into the river.  And then we headed over to the interior dock.

Is there really a difference between a chain and a necklace?

The chain arrived in a large barrel.  Over 200 feet.  And as expensive as a new diamond necklace.

Old chain finally out!

They had to lift down to the dock with a front end loader.  After that they got they new gypsy installed and loaded up the new chain in a few hours although we had much difficulty running the old chain out of the chain locker and off the boat into their floating platform.  It was me, finally, banging on the old rusted chain that had seemly welded itself into many knots which prevented it from feeding up through the chain access hole.  I finally took to beating it with a hammer to loosen the knots and that that allowed us to get it all out.  What a mess!. 

Laying the new chain out to measure and mark it

It took only a few minutes to mark the new chain with wire ties every 25 feet and feed it back into the

boat.  It looks great.  Hope it works great too.  I wont divulge the cost.  Gives me shivers.

Bob had cajoled a courtesy car from the marina while we were occupied with the installing the new chain and as they returned form the grocery story asked if he still had time to run me to CVS to get Mary’s prescriptions.  

The original order was sent to Beaufort,NC.  Why?  You tell me.  To make it even more memorable we had to pay for the drugs out of pocket since they declared the prescriptions were already filled and sitting in a post office 400 miles away.  Wonderful surprise that was.  Meanwhile Mary was on the phone with them having a “pleasant” conversation about certain inadequacies in their ordering procedures. 

We made it to CVS and back before the car had to be returned.  And then we all decided to leave the following morning instead of staying around at Thunderbolt.  The urge to go south is strong amongst us.  

The mechanics never called so I don't think we missed anything.  I'll just have to keep an eye on the fuel leak as we make our way to Huckins Marine in Jacksonville.

So it will be an early departure tomorrow morning so we'll be running through Hells Gate near a high tide.   It was nice sleeping late these past few days even if it was 30 degrees.

November 3-9, 2014 Southport to Georgetown

A few other notes about Southport.

Saturday, the planned regatta and party preparations were in full swing.  The tents were going up, bar was getting stocked and tables were laid out while the boat crews gathered on the docks for a pre-regatta beer.  It was 10am

Then, in the afternoon, the light showers started.  Tables were quickly placed in the tents, the bar was covered and the boat crews, decked themselves out in rain gear and gathered in larger groups as the discussion turned from race tactics and partying to talk of not really leaving the dock.  I also noticed beer was being displaced with a more potent selection of  beverages.

Meanwhile the cats, who had settled themselves in a few warm spots under the porch roof  next to me in my rocking chair, watched with amusement (well in my mind anyway)  as several bundled up dog owners surged out off the docks with their pets in tow loudly exhorting them to "do your business NOW"!  And we all know dogs, when urged to to anything, basically just start smelling the ground.


Once it really began pouring the winds picked up to well over 20mph.  One boat left the dock.

All the other boaters congregated in the tent near the bar for the rest of the afternoon.  We turned on all the heaters and stayed aboard.

Rocking party tent

The next day, Sunday, I took an evening walk down by the restaurants where the party was in full swing in a  rather small tent with a classic rock band was playing.  Loudly too!  The tent must have been packed because the plastic tents sides bulged out with what I'm assuming were party goers.  I didn't pay the $5 to find out.

Monday when we left Southport, it was clear and cool.  Well cold.  As I said earlier the starboard engine barley turned over.  When I checked later, the temperatures had been hovering around 32 degrees.

We got away from the dock easily enough and made our three 90 degree turns out into the channel and ended up in yet another group of sailboats making their way down the ICW.   It was down right chilly but we have a heated fly bridge so it gets toasty warm.  The sailboats are, in most cases not so luckily and layered themselves in bulky coats and jackets.    Out of sympathy I wore a shirt.

This portion of the ICW runs along the coast and the barrier islands which are narrow and allow an ocean view in some spots.  And there are several inlets including Little River, Shallotte, Tubs (not navigable) and Lockwood Folly.

Shallotte Inlet

As we cruised by the inlets it was exciting to see that shimmering bright blue of ocean contrasted with the white sand ... that is until I glanced at the water temperature readings.  64 degrees!   Guess we aren't quite far enough south yet!

We had one bridge to contend with, the Little River Swing Bridge which opens on demand.  We went through with a large motor yacht.  Its interesting that these bridges which need to open for boat traffic, always ask the boat name and home port as you pass through the bridge.  Guess they keep records now.

Entering the Rock Pile

Following the bridge is a stretch of the ICW know as the Rock Pile which is about a 4 mile section of channel cut right through solid rock so the shore is rock lined and unforgiving if one were to stray to close to the banks.  On section about a mile long is particularly notorious due to its narrow channel.

The competing Barefoot Landing marina across the river 

A few miles further south and we passed under the Barefoot Landing Bridge to tie up at Barefoot Landing.  The marina, Barefoot Landing Marina, consists of a very long dock fronting a shopping mall.  And in our case one of  Greg Normans Restaurants since we were tied up right in front of it.  The outside dinning area was 10 feet from our boat but luckily it was chilly and a weekday so patrons were all inside around the fire place.  I know this because I could see them through the windows, and also because we went inside and ate by the fire.

View from Greg Normans restaurant (our boat)

Since we arrived mid afternoon I was keen on finding a hardware store nearby which might have a replacement faucet cartridge.            And sure enough the Windy Hills Hardware store was about 2 miles away.  So Mary and I walked up there only to discover they dont carry the particular cartridge I need.   The helpful hardware guy said only Home Depot would have them.  No Home Depot within 20 miles, so we walked back to the boat but stopped for ice cream in the Barefoot Landing Shopping complex at Sweet Mollys Creamery

Passing by the golf course Greg and I played years ago

We were first off the docks this morning.  Sailboats were following us for a change.  As we started to enter the more rural areas of the Waccamaw River the forested banks took on a rather bland, dejected color not the vibrant fall colors I thought we'd see.  Well, it almost winter down here too.

Entering the very narrow channel to Osprey Marina

We usually try and stop for fuel at Osprey Marina on the Waccamaw River.  It's about 20 miles south of Barefoot Landing and at minimum, 50 cents per gallon cheaper than other places.  And another mile down river from Osprey is a favorite anchorage of ours, the Oxbow.  But on this trip we simply stopped for fuel and headed on down the river to Georgetown.

Oxbow Anchorage.   Looks much better in the warmer months

On the way down the river we went bye a Coast Guard barge hauling out a large tree from the main river channel.

Coast Guard hard at work removing a large tree 

We decided to stop in Georgetown this trip because we've never been to Georgetown before and we had some friends who were staying there.  And I began noticing an increase in the port engine temperatures so I wanted to have a mechanic check that out.  So we called Hazzard Marina which had an opening.  It's the first marina coming into the harbor.   And its only 3 blocks from all the neat sights in downtown Georgetown.

Entering Georgetown harbor

Georgetown is located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Black,  Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw  and Sampit River.  It is known as a rather busy seaport but we only saw shrimp boats going in and out while we were there.  The harbor is actually on the Sampit River and is crowded with moored and anchored boats.

We stayed at Hazzard Marine.  Nice folks, Reed and Susan.  And Jasper who did some work on our port engine.  Its not fancy but it's really a boat yard with a few spots for transients like us.

The marina is just a short walk to downtown through these tree covered streets.   Its almost like walking in a tunnel the canopy is so thick.   And like many homes in Southport, some of the older homes here have placards indicating the original  owners name and construction date.

Georgetown side street

Downtown Georgetown

Shoppers heaven

Yes.  A museum about rice.

The day after we arrived we went to town and walked along this well done river walk which runs along most of the  harbor.  We toured the stimulating Rice Museum and then the less stimulating Maritime Museum.  And of course we stopped for ice cream at a shop whose name escapes me.  The ice cream was so-so.

Harbor Walk.

Morgan Park sign board

Near the marina is East Bay Park.  Its really a large outdoor spots complex consisting of 5 baseball diamonds and a couple of soccer fields and and a large playground.  And a boat launch.  I usually take a walk at night and this was a particularly nice area to walk through.  It runs along the harbor entrance and even has another little park along the shore, Morgan Park.  Morgan Park is on the site of an old fort and sports a tiny beach overlooking Winyah Bay.  But there is a sign warning, No Swimming.  Since the water in the 60's I really didn't need the sign.

Maybe not so delicious but mighty colorful

I rode my bike to the local Piggly Wiggly a few times.  Strange experience.  They rejected by Piggly Wiggly card which I've had since we lived in Oconomowoc.  And they sell the ever popular red pickled eggs.  Who knew.

We met a very young couple with two small children who had their boat up in the boat yard.  They were coming into the inlet from the ocean a few days ago with the intent on anchoring where we usually anchor.  But he was tired and got a little two close to shore and ran hard aground.  It split a seam and did some keel damage but they and the yard have it all fixed up and looking good.  They are leaving a few days after us.   They are on a 10 month vacation originating in Boston and heading to the BVIs.   As I said they are young (early, early 30's) and took sabbaticals from where I never found out.

We found our port engine raw water impeller had lost 2 of its 12 fins so it was replaced along with a soft water return hose that was disintegrating.  But in the process we found a fuel leak in the high pressure fuel pump.  That could be costly and is something I cant fix myself.   So we'll probably stop in Thunderbolt, Georgia and have it repaired.  Its right on the outskirts of  Savannah and since we haven't explored Savannah yet it wont be too bad if it takes a week.

One good impeller.  One not so much

We ate on board tonight (Jennifer's soup,  Thanks!) and are going to depart the dock tomorrow morning...ish.  We only have 8 miles to the anchorage so we'll try and get under way by noon.  That's good for Mary although tomorrow morning we have to be underway before sunrise to make it to the anchorage before nightfall.

We'll anchor in Winyah Bay tonight before heading out the inlet to the ocean for the 78 mile run to Charleston Harbor.  It will be a pre-dawn start tomorrow too.

We get to cruise right by Fort Sumter again on our way past Charleston to the Stono River and another anchorage we have used in the past.   We aren't planning on lingering in Charleston having spent some time there this past summer.

The ocean is "supposed" to be relatively benign tomorrow so we'll see.  It'll give us a chance to make water and get our sea legs back.  Will NOAA be right this time??

October 28-November 2, 2014 Norfolk to Southport

Two of the black labs on the dock.  Helping

It was fun at in Coinjock at the Coinjock Marina last night.  All these boats tie up on the wall.  And dogs.  Marina dogs, 3 of which were black labs.   And then of course a slew of boat dogs.  One couple on a Hampton 58 motor yacht, had this 22 month old semi chocolate, semi black lab.  Its coat defied any color description.  It was just very shiny.  It must have weighed in over 100 pounds.  Big and lovey.  And he had his own boat ramp making it easy for him to disembark and get loved up by boat people without dogs.

Ooops .... I  guess I should also point out we are now in North Carolina!  I only mention this because its one state closer warm water and beaches.

Home made chips in addition to everything else

We met several couples here on their boats.  Basically we grab a cocktail and wander the docks just like most everyone else except those who are sitting on their boats having a cocktail.  Quite fun!  We eventually went to the restaurant and then had dinner.  Prime Rib of course.  At Coinjock marina, its their signature entree.  But why to these places give you half a side of beef for a meal?  Dave H and Don C. might be able to eat it all, but I cant any more.  It's depressing asking for a dogie bag.

One of the boats that docked there right ahead of us was this gorgeous, 100'  Burger yacht.  It was an older model, but wow.  What neat boat.  The owners were absent so the crew was taking it back down to Florida.  Tough job.

In the morning the biggest boat, that beautiful Burger, left first.  That’s significant because we were literally stern to bow on the dock.  In other words each boat had about a foot of space between each other's ends.  Very tightly packed all in a row,  How the Burger got out is intriguing.  Even using a spring line there would be zero margin for error.  

We were lucky.  By 7AM most everyone had left so it was easy for us to spin away from the dock.  Yes, I got Mary up at 7:10 AM.  Pictorial evidenced was deleted by mandate.

Shameless advertising.  And we were in Manteo this spring!

Cold?  Nah ...

We really sprinted down the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal and Alligator River rivers at about 8.5 knots.  It was a bit chilly but I still usually keep one of the front facing windows open to see more clearly.  Some take refuge from the cold.

This route is known as the Virginia Cut as opposed to the Dismal Swamp Canal which we took this spring.   This route is a bit shorter than the Dismal Swamp and although the colors were just beginning to turn we wanted to visit Coinjock again.

I was curious about the this canal and its explained pretty well here

We had 80 miles to go and were in a loose group of  sailboats, some of which we met at Coinjock.

And of course there were a few of these big speedsters that just flew by us without even a flicker of recognition that their wakes could be damaging.    Annoying.

Pungo River Anchorage

Our intentions were to run through the Alligator river and then through the Alligator River and Pungo River Canal to an anchorage right at the Canal terminus.  It actually in the Pungo River.  We ran through the canal in waning daylight and got in to the anchorage right before sunset.  Weather predicated calm winds and there is little tidal activity here so it will be a quiet and peaceful night.  And it was cool to so no bugs and good sleeping.  And we only burned about 33 gallons of fuel racing 80 miles.  Not bad for a heavy old tub.

Hardly a ripple.  Dead calm in Palmico River

The anchorage was perfectly calm all night.  We woke up around 7:30 and of course were the last boat to leave out of about ten scattered through the anchorage.  No worries.  We only had 54 miles to go.  So we left around 8:30 and enjoyed probably the flattest seas I've ever seen down here.  Hardly a ripple.  I’m becoming an superstitious old coot.   I'm thinking this delightfully rare weather is simply lulling us into complacency while a big storm makes its way toward us in the next few days.  But the barometer is hardly moving off of “Fair".  So who knows.

As we approached the turn into South River from the Pamlico River I rechecked the weather and we re-assessed and ultimately decided to just by-pass South River, and anchor in Adams Creek which is really part of the ICW leading down to Beaufort.   Well, actually the anchorage is Cedar Creek which feeds into Adams Creek.  Its a convenient place to stop for the night.  But it is shallow!

 We reasoned we could make the Mile Hammock Bay anchorage tomorrow leaving us a less lengthy journey to Southport and a marina there when these heavy winds are supposed to descend Friday night and into Saturday.  So it’s a 60 mile run tomorrow and a 60 mile run the next day.  And, to keep things interesting the Marines are having live fire exercise tomorrow.  That means we cant pass through towards the anchorage until noon because the water way is shut down about 5 miles on either side of Mile Hammock by the Navy.  And yes there really is a big sign, DO NOT PROCEED, with flashing yellow lights.  Hard to miss.   But in any event we will probably have quite a number of boats with us trying to make that anchorage tomorrow. 

Cedar Creek Anchorage straight ahead

We arrived at Cedar Creek in the late afternoon and wound our way around the sunken sailboat (well marked) and in the anchorage near two sailboats.  It was calm a cloudless sky.  Perfect for watching a rocket launch.  Which I did to no avail because it blew up shortly after launch.  Mary was watching it on TV while I was vainly searching the sky.   

Running down Adams Creek in the early morning

We left right behind the two sailboats, Hair Ball (love that name) and Carolina at 7am the next morning.  You know, its pretty dark at 7AM.  So as I was up getting ready to leave  the two other boats had their cabin lights on and it was calm enough to see the slight mists of steam rising from their coffee mugs.  Eerie.

We swung out of the anchorage and, ignoring the frantically beeping depth sounder, made it out in the channel about a mile astern of our anchorage neighbors.    I did mention it was shallow to the extent that we had maybe 6 inches below our keel last night.  Probably about the same as we left the creek to.

 It was rather an uneventful journey down Adams Creek and into the cut leading to Beaufort.  Since we had decided to try to make Mile Hammock Bay today, Mary cancelled the reservations we had made in Morehead City at the Morehead City Marina where we had stayed this springs.   Instead, we called and reserved a slip in Southport at the Southport Marina for the next day for several days.

I'm still having periods of complete befuddlement with the weather down here.  I get it right 20% of the time.  NOAA gets it right maybe 50% of the time.  When there is nasty weather around and a dearth of decent, protected anchorages, we usually opt for a marina.  But that requires some predictive abilities which I'm just beginning to learn.

So easy docking ... with a couple of tugs helping out

As we went through Beaufort we watched a Naval vessel being docked and saw another beyond it that was already tied up.  This must coincide with the marine live fire exercises being conducted this  week and into next.  But luckily not on the 30th when we’ll be leaving the area.

The other Naval vessel already tied up

Went through a few very shallow spots coming though Bogue Sound.  And we heard on the radio about one sailboat that had gone aground.  We went through Swansboro which looked totally different than it did last year when we anchored there.  But I do remember the current really ripping through here and so it was today too.  Our speed dropped by 2 mph!

We had one bridge to contend with at Onslow Beach.  It's a swing bridge meaning it doesn't have a lifting span, but pivots around.  And its very slow, taking 5 minutes to swing.  But we arrived in time for the hourly opening and made it through.

Live fire warning sign

After the bridge we reached the really big sign warning mariners to heed the DO NOT PROCEED sign if its flashing its yellow lights.   But it wasn't flashing when we went bye.

After a few miles we eased into Mile Hammock Bay along with several boats we were traveling with since the last bridge.  And, we had to wait momentarily for  2 Navy patrol boats (large, hard bottomed inflatables) as they made their way into the basin.

Mile Hammock Bay is within the Camp Lejeune Marine base.  It's used for launching and docking small patrol craft and military personnel's recreational craft.  But they also permit non military recreational boaters to anchor there.  Its a rather popular anchorage since its rather deep and there is room for 20 or more boats.

We all found a spot to anchor in Hammock Bay 

Sunset in Mile Hammock Bay anchorage

There were 10+ boats already in the anchorage when we arrived but we all the 4 other boats found spots ok.  We’re in front of the launch ramp but were securely anchored.  At least it seemed so.  Hope that's true when the winds switch out of the north and it rains tonight!

We were anchored behind Horizon Chaser which was hosting quite a party for a few hours.  Sadly we didn't have the dinghy down so couldn't invite ourselves over.  I noticed they had an  AGLCA burgee flying too .  And we, being Gold Loopers, would surely be welcome since we are, sort of, elders of the AGLCA having completed the Loop.  Come to think of it, I guess we're elders in any sense because we are, well, old!

Before the sun set we saw several Osprey aircraft buzzing around here.  Loud, ungainly beasts.  They, along with helicopters and infrequent artillery fire made up the nights entertainment.  It is a training base after all.

By nightfall we counted 20+ boats in here.  And along the dock where the Naval patrol boats were tied up, the Navy fired up what looked like a Honda portable generator to power these very bright spot lights illuminating the dozen boats there.  It was eerie when it rained out later that night.

We were up with most of the rest of the anchored boats this morning and we all left around 7:30.  The reason we all departed around the same time were bridges.  There are three bridges which are an impediment to swift and easy travel on the ICW between Southport and Hammcok Bay.  Two open on the hour while the middle bridge opens on every half hour.  The first two are 16 miles apart, the  last is 5 miles.  Most of the boats we travel with do about 8 mph.  So its gets to be a complicated game of sorts.  Some of us having played the game before, now wait until others start to leave assuming they have made all the calculations you had done in years past.   And yes, that's me.  

We left in a group of about 8 boats and jostled for position as we made our way up the waterway.  It took about 30 minutes but we ended up separating into two groups, the faster and the slower.  We were in the faster, 8 mph.  And as an added bonus we were right behind Carolina, a large sailing ketch from South Carolina whom we have been talking on the radio a bit.  He’s been up and down here many times and knows all the little anchorages and tricks.  We anchored with him in Cedar creek which is where we first met them.

Waiting for a bridge opening 

We, or I should say "they" since I was following them, timed it rather well and went through Surf City and the Surf City Bridge with only a few minutes of idling around before the bridge opened.  Its another swing bridge like so many in the Carolinas.   Some times this idling around can be rather risky.  Half a dozen boats trying to stay in one position with current and wind effecting how the boats move not to menton the confined space one has to wait.  Makes for some lively radio conversations.

The next bridge we found out, had a height of twenty feet.  We can make it under a 20 feet bridge if I take all the antennas down.  And this time the bridge was reporting 22.5 feet of clearance.  So I did take the two big antennas down  and we slide under the bridge with feet to spare. 

The last bridge though was supposed to have 20 feet of clearance but only had 14 so we had to really run hard to make it.   The engines have had their share of  hard running over the last few days.  Moving so fast (9mph)  we just made it in time.

The rest of the way to Southport was typical ICW cruising with some pretty, some ugly, some large and some small houses.    No real bad shallow spots and it turned out to be a warm, sunny day after the rain storms we had the previous night.  Actually, it rained and blew rather over night to a degree sufficient to turn us 180 degrees around on our anchor.  Pretty interesting waking up and becoming disorientated because the 23 boats in the anchorage were all facing the wrong way! 

Tied up on B dock

We came into Southport Marina and they directed us to a face dock which is the outside dock forming the interior slips.  They are usually easier to access but can also be more bouncy in windy conditions.

I had to make to two, 90 degree turns and then spin the boat around so the it was facing out.  We did it but it took awhile to get the boat close to the dock against the wind and current.  We have no bow thruster and have to rely on me being able to twist the boat around using the shifters or spring lines to move the boat around when there are strong winds or currents effecting us.  Strong like today.  But the dock hand didn't get the bow line tied tightly enough so I could use it as a spring line.  But it all worked out fine, a little slowly but it worked.

Fruition right behind us

We spotted again, and finally talked with Jim and Sue from Fruition.  We ran into them at Colonial Beach.   Fun couple.  They are holing up at Light Keepers Marina for the winter.  Light Keepers is located in Coquina Harbour, a basin hosting several marinas including the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club where we spent several days early this summer.Myrtle Beach.  

We’ll be here in Southport probably until Monday as the weather gets bad Saturday and Sunday.  They have a super Walmart about 2 1/2 miles away but its not very accessible to biking or walking.  So we'll enlist the aide of Hank and Lisa of CYC to get us there and back.

And boy did we shop.  Besides spending lots of money, lugging all the groceries etc. up and in the boat can be arduous because we have such high Freeboard.  But we manage.

I sat down. It jumped on my lap without hesitation

And of course there are the marina cats who suck up to anyone for attention.

Hank does a presentation on weather in the area and navigation.  He's a meteorologist and does a superb job conveying weather facts and concepts not to mention navigation tips.  

We pulled in here Thursday evening anticipating some strong weather beginning Friday morning.  Considering my meteorological predictive abilities what could go wrong, right?   Friday, warm and pleasant.  Saturday morning warm and pleasant.  Saturday afternoon it began to rain until early Sunday morning.  Sunday may have been dry, but it was frigid.  Well, frigid meaning in the 50's.  And very windy.

The cold bottomed out around at 33 degrees early this morning (Monday) before we left at 8:30am.  The starboard engine barley started.  And we found a leaky faucet for which I have no replacement cartridge or O rings.  So on the agenda is a starter motor rebuild and a Home Depot where they carry replacement cartridges for the faucets we have on board.  Something to look forward too.

 Meanwhile Mary wears hats, gloves and a ski jacket.  Made of sterner stuff I still wear shorts but did succumb to a jacket.  No gloves though.  Yet.  But we both enjoy turning on the heat in the boat!